While there are many notions of what exactly heaven is and how we get there, the one point on which believers—whether Jewish, Christian, or Muslim—agree is that heaven is God's home. Newsweek religion editor Lisa Miller conducts this 2,000-year tour through the fascinating history and intellectual geography of this transcendent territory. From the earliest biblical conceptions of the afterlife to the stories of extraordinary theological characters, and the convictions and perceptions of ordinary people, Miller explores the roots of our beliefs in heaven and how the notion of heaven has been used to promulgate selfless behavior and justify mass murder.

"This fascinating, thoughtful, and challenging study tells us a great deal about what it means to be a human being."—Karen Armstrong